Church giving improves in first quarter of 2010

Through March, Oklahomans had donated $395,056 to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) for Haiti earthquake relief. Other gifts of $13,005 went to One Great Hour of Sharing, the annual special offering to meet UMCOR administrative costs. —Conference Treasurer’s Office ...

Focus on finance: Event helps church leaders see beyond budgets

By David Stewart, Pastor, Bartlesville-Oak Park UMC Stewardship is everything we do after we say, "I believe." In light of our current national economy, a financial workshop hosted by the Oklahoma United Methodist Foundation, Aug. 28 at OKC-Chapel Hill, provided helpful resources useful to every pastor and church. Stewardship Focus Day highlighted the importance of giving in a way that moves beyond...

Special Days gain support

Oklahoma United Methodists increased their giving on Special Days to a total of $96,409.58 in 2008, according to Conference Treasurer Brian Bakeman. Compared to 2007, such donations increased by $15,218.55, according to a report by Rev. Bakeman in a recent edition of Treasury Notes. "These special offerings are over and above what people give to the budgets and show that, when given the opportunity, people give to special...

Dollar bills multiply at Douglas Boulevard

Matthew 25:14-30 In this parable, the servant who is faithful with the gift of five talents is given the talent from the servant who chose to bury, rather than multiply, the talent he had been given. The parable of talents indicates that God expects a faithful response to the gift of God’s kingdom through the abundance of fruitfulness. ...

Money matters:

Good procedures overcome assumptions   Effective systems of internal financial control in a church should not only protect church assets, but also enable the church to operate better. Most of our knowledge about internal financial control comes from the auditing profession. Auditing literature describes the components of such control. Two of those are particularly applicable to churches: *First, the organizational environment sets the tone by reflecting the attitude toward the...